Employers · Transfers
Hiring a 482 Visa Holder from Another Employer
A candidate already in Australia on a 482 sponsored by someone else is often the fastest hire an employer can make, because the worker has already passed the visa. The new employer still needs its own sponsorship and nomination, and the order matters: the worker cannot start until the nomination is approved. This page sets out what the hiring business has to do, what it costs, and what to ask the candidate first.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - New visa needed?
- Usually not, if the occupation stays the same
- Worker can start
- When the new nomination is approved
- Employer charges
- A$420 + A$330 + SAF levy
The migration agent that other migration agents learn from. WIDEN is an OMARA-approved CPD provider — our training is rated ★4.8 by 40+ registered migration agents.
About the CPD →MARN 1576536
Employers: a transfer is quick when it is set up in the right order.
In the extended consultation I check the candidate's visa against your role, confirm whether a new visa is needed, settle the advertising and salary, and give you a fixed quote and a start date you can plan around.
What it costs. $550 inc. GST for 60 minutes by video with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536), credited in full against our professional fee if you engage WIDEN. Advice confirmed in writing after the call. There is no free consultation or free assessment.
What has to happen
- Your business becomes an approved sponsor (Standard Business Sponsorship), unless it already is.
- You lodge a nomination for the position, naming the worker, in the occupation they will actually do, at a salary of at least A$79,423 plus super and the market rate.
- The worker keeps working for the current sponsor until your nomination is approved. Starting with you before then breaches their visa conditions.
- On approval, the worker moves across. The old sponsor's obligations end; yours begin.
Does the worker need a new visa?
Not if the occupation stays the same: a 482 holder can change sponsor on a new nomination alone, and the visa runs to its existing expiry. If your role is a different occupation, even a closely related one (a registered nurse moving from aged care to a medical ward is a different occupation), the worker needs a new 482 visa application linked to your nomination, with the skills, English and health requirements tested again. Getting this wrong is the most common reason a transfer stalls.
Labour market testing
The role must have been advertised in Australia for at least 28 days within the four months before you lodge the nomination, including on Workforce Australia, unless an exemption applies (some apply by the worker's nationality under trade agreements, others to high salaries). Advertising after you have chosen the candidate is still required and still has to be genuine.
What to ask the candidate first
- Their visa grant notice: subclass, stream, occupation and expiry.
- Whether their current employment has ended, and the date, because the time a 482 holder has to find a new sponsor runs from that day.
- Their skills assessment, if they had one, and their English result.
- Any visa refusals or cancellations.
Cost and timeline
Government charges to the employer: sponsorship A$420 (if not already approved), nomination A$330, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 a year of nomination (turnover under A$10m) or A$1,800 a year. A new visa, if needed, is A$4,015 for the worker. None of the employer charges can be recovered from the worker. Nomination processing is measured in weeks to a few months; current figures are here.
General information only, current at October 2026; not advice on your own case. Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
Not sure which visa fits you?
Answer three questions. An automated guide points you to the route that usually applies. General information only.
Check your case
Tell Keshab your situation. He reads it personally and replies within a business day with which route fits you and whether a consultation is worth your money. Not an assessment of your file, no advice on it, no obligation.
How this works: Keshab reads every case check himself and replies personally, usually within a business day: which route fits, what it turns on, and whether a consultation is worth your money. If it is, he offers you a time; if it is not, he says so.
Ready now? Skip the form. Pick a time and talk to Keshab directly — your documents on the table, a straight answer, and a written summary afterwards. $330 inc. GST, credited toward your fee if you engage.
Pick a time — no enquiry needed →Questions we get asked first
Can a 482 visa holder change employers?
Yes. The new employer must be an approved sponsor and have a nomination approved for the worker. If the occupation is the same, no new visa is needed.
When can the worker start with us?
When your nomination is approved, not before. Until then they must keep working for the sponsor named on their current visa, or not work at all.
Do we have to advertise if we already have the candidate?
Usually yes: labour market testing applies to the nomination, whoever you intend to hire, unless an exemption applies.
Who pays the fees?
The employer pays the sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy and cannot recover them from the worker. A new visa application, if needed, is commonly paid by the worker, though the employer may pay it.
What if the worker's current employment has already ended?
They have a limited period to find a new sponsor or leave, so the nomination should be lodged promptly. Ask for the exact date their employment ended.
Keep reading